Latest news with #internationaljustice
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Putin hopes to travel overseas to meet Trump despite arrest warrant for war crimes
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Vladimir Putin may be traveling abroad next week — for potentially pivotal talks with U.S. President Donald Trump — despite the Russian leader facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. Putin is wanted by the court on a warrant dating back to March 2023 for alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine during the conflict triggered by Moscow's invasion of its neighbor. The court, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, relies on other countries to arrest suspects and has a spotty history of cooperation. Putin knows that and has traveled overseas since the warrant was issued, including to ICC member state Mongolia. He's also traveled to China and North Korea, which are not court members. Choosing the United Arab Emirates as a venue would mean Putin visiting another country that is not a member of the global court. The International Criminal Court in a nutshell The court was set up in 2002 and aims to hold leaders and senior officials accountable for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. It has 125 member states, but three major global powers — the United States, Russia and China — are not members. Ukraine officially joined the court in January. More than 900 staff work for the court that has a budget this year of just over 195 million euros ($228 million). In an indication of the problems it has getting suspects arrested, judges have issued warrants for 61 people and 30 remain at large. The ICC is a court of last resort, meaning it only takes on cases when other countries' legal systems are unable or unwilling to prosecute suspects. The United States and Russia both oppose the court Trump's administration has slapped sanctions on the court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, after Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC. He accuses the court of 'illegitimate and baseless actions' targeting America and Israel. The court has issued an arrest warrant for two top Israeli officials, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, over alleged war crimes in Gaza. They deny the accusations, and Netanyahu has called the warrant 'absurd.' Trump previously sanctioned Khan's predecessor, Fatou Bensouda, in his first term in the White House and the Biden administration subsequently lifted those sanctions. Russia also rejects the court's authority and has issued a warrant for Khan and the ICC judge who signed Putin's warrant. Countries that have not arrested suspects and a notable one that has It is not just Mongolia that has failed to arrest a suspect wanted by the court. In April, Netanyahu visited Hungary, an ICC member state, and was not arrested. Instead, the Israeli leader received a red-carpet welcome from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who later said his country does not arrest its visiting friends. Hungary is now in the process of leaving the court. The only other countries to have left are Burundi and the Philippines, whose former president, Rodrigo Duterte, is in custody at the court's cell block in The Hague after he was arrested on charges of crimes against humanity linked to his government's deadly crackdown on drugs. Duterte was arrested in his home country in March by Philippine police as he arrived on a flight from Hong Kong. President Ferdinand Marcos said the arrest was 'proper and correct' and not an act of political persecution. South Africa allowed Sudan's then-leader Omar al-Bashir to visit in 2015 without arresting him. Al-Bashir is wanted on charges including genocide for his role in the bloody conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region in the 2000s. He is in prison in his own country but still has not been sent to The Hague, even after being ousted from office in 2019 in a popular uprising. ICC prosecutor is on leave amid ethics probe Karim Khan, the ICC's chief prosecutor, has stepped down pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. He has categorically denied accusations that he tried for more than a year to coerce a female aide into a sexual relationship and groped her against her will. No date has been set for the investigation to be completed.
The Independent
30-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
International Criminal Court hit with cyber security attack
The International Criminal Court has been targeted by a 'sophisticated' cyberattack and is taking measures to limit any damage, the global tribunal announced Monday. The ICC, which also was hit by a cyberattack in 2023, said the latest incident had been contained but did not elaborate further on the impact or possible motive. 'A Court-wide impact analysis is being carried out, and steps are already being taken to mitigate any effects of the incident,' the court said in a statement. The attack happened last week. 'All necessary measures have been taken to ensure the business continuity,' court spokesman Fadi El Abdallah told The Associated Press. The incident happened in the same week that The Hague hosted a summit of 32 NATO leaders at a conference center near the court amid tight security including measures to guard against cyberattacks. The court declined to say whether any confidential information had been compromised. The ICC has a number of high-profile investigations and preliminary inquiries underway in nations around the world and has in the past been the target of espionage. In 2022, a Dutch intelligence agency said it had foiled a plot by a Russian spy using a false Brazilian identity to work as an intern at the court, which is investigating allegations of Russian war crimes in Ukraine and has issued a war crimes arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. Arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, over Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza have also drawn ire. U.S. President Donald Trump slapped sanctions on its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, in February and earlier this month also sanctioned four judges at the court. The court is still feeling the effects of the last cyberattack, with wifi still not completely restored to its purpose-built headquarters.
Al Jazeera
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Can the Global South stop genocide? Gandikota Nellutla and Ken Roth
In this episode, Ken Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch, interviews Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla on how much the Global South has influenced the world order and whether it can actually exert any pressure on the international stage. Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla is the general coordinator for Progressive International, a think tank working to unite, organise and mobilise progressive forces around the world. She's also one of the founders and the executive secretary of the Hague Group, a coalition of nations from the Global South formed in January 2025 to uphold the rulings of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court regarding Israel-Palestine, and 'stand together to defend the principles of justice, equality and human rights'. Among the collective measures the group has taken is to close their ports to ships carrying weapons or fuel to Israel and commit to honour international arrest warrants.
Al Jazeera
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Does international law even matter? Ken Roth & Silvia Fernandez
In this episode of Reframe, Ken Roth and Silvia Fernandez discuss what international justice means today, exploring the significance of the ICC and asking if the 'court of last resort' can withstand threats and sanctions by global superpowers and uphold the rule of law.
Arab News
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
ICC gives victims of the gravest crimes a voice, EU leader says
BRUSSELS: The EU has given its backing to the International Criminal Court after Washington imposed sanctions on four ICC judges, and EU member Slovenia said it would push Brussels to use its power to ensure the US sanctions could not be enforced in Europe. 'The ICC holds perpetrators of the world's gravest crimes to account and gives victims a voice. It must be free to act without pressure,' European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said on the social media platform X. Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, which represents national governments of the 27 member states, called the court 'a cornerstone of international justice' and said its independence and integrity must be protected. The International Criminal Court must be free to act without pressure. Ursula Von der Leyen, European Commission president The US imposed sanctions on four judges at the ICC in retaliation for the war tribunal's issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a past decision to open a case into alleged war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan. The initial US order names Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia. The US sanctions mean the judges are now on a list of specially designated sanctioned individuals. Any US assets they have will be blocked, and they are put on an automated screening service used by not only American banks but many banks worldwide, making it very difficult for sanctioned persons to hold or open bank accounts or transfer money. The initial order announcing sanctions on the ICC also said that US citizens who provide services for the benefit of sanctioned individuals could face civil and criminal penalties. Slovenia urged the EU to use its blocking statute, which lets the EU ban European companies from complying with US sanctions that Brussels deems unlawful. 'Due to the inclusion of a citizen of an EU member state on the sanctions list, Slovenia will propose the immediate activation of the blocking act,' Slovenia's Foreign Ministry said in a post on the social media site X. ICC president Judge Tomoko Akane had urged the EU already in March this year to bring the ICC into the scope of the blocking statute. The new sanctions have been imposed at a difficult time for the ICC, which is already reeling from earlier US sanctions against its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, who last month stepped aside temporarily amid a UN investigation into alleged sexual misconduct. The court's governing body, representing 125 member states, condemned the US government's decision to retaliate against judges. 'These ... are regrettable attempts to impede the court and its personnel in the exercise of their independent judicial functions,' the Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties said.
